Stand Tall
by vpen1729
Summary: How exactly do you explain to someone that they were a tree? Post Sea of Monsters, how Thalia wakes up and finds out what happened to her. T for some swearing.
1. I Fall Out of a Tree

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

_There at the base of the tree, a girl was lying unconscious. Another girl in Greek armor was kneeling next to her._

_Blood roared in my ears. I couldn't think straight. Annabeth had been attacked? But why was the Fleece still there?_

_The tree itself looked perfectly fine, whole and healthy, suffused with the essence of the Golden Fleece._

_"It healed the tree," Chiron said, his voice ragged. "And poison was not the only thing it purged."_

_Then I realized Annabeth wasn't the one lying on the ground. She was the one in armor, kneeling next to the unconscious girl. When Annabeth saw us, she ran to Chiron. "It... she ... just suddenly there ..."_

_Her eyes were streaming with tears, but I still didn't understand. I was too freaked out to make sense of it all. I leaped off Chiron's back and ran toward the unconscious girl. Chiron said: "Percy, wait!"_

_I knelt by her side. She had short black hair and freck-les across her nose. She was built like a long-distance runner, lithe and strong, and she wore clothes that were somewhere between punk and Goth—a black T-shirt, black tattered jeans, and a leather jacket with buttons from a bunch of bands I'd never heard of._

_She wasn't a camper. I didn't recognize her from any of the cabins. And yet I had the strangest feeling I'd seen her before..._

_"It's true," Grover said, panting from his run up the hill. "I can't believe ..." Nobody else came close to the girl._

_I put my hand on her forehead. Her skin was cold, but my fingertips tingled as if they were burning._

_"She needs nectar and ambrosia," I said. She was clearly a half-blood, whether she was a camper or not. I could sense that just from one touch. I didn't understand why everyone was acting so scared._

_I took her by the shoulders and lifted her into sitting position, resting her head on my shoulder._

_"Come on!" I yelled to the others. "What's wrong with you people? Let's get her to the Big House."_

_No one moved, not even Chiron. They were all too stunned._

_Then the girl took a shaky breath. She couged and opened her eyes._

_Her irises were startlingly blue—electric blue._

_The girl stared at me in bewilderment, shivering and wild-eyed. "Who—" "I'm Percy," I said. "You're safe now."_

_"Strangest dream ..."_

_"It's okay."_

_"Dying."_

_"No," I assured her. "You're okay. What's your name?"_

_That's when I knew. Even before she said it._

_The girl's blue eyes stared into mine, and I understood what the Golden Fleece quest had been about. The poison-ing of the tree. Everything. Kronos had done it to bring another chess piece into play—another chance to control the prophecy._

_Even Chiron, Annabeth, and Grover, who should've been celebrating this moment, were too shocked, thinking about what it might mean for the future. And I was holding someone who was destined to be my best friend, or possi-bly my worst enemy._

_"I am Thalia," the girl said. "Daughter of Zeus."_

_-The Sea of Monsters_

* * *

The only thing I knew was that I was falling.

My eyes refused to open. I couldn't even find the strength to turn my face so that I could breath. The grassy, wet ground pressed against my mouth and nose as rivulets of water ran cold around the sides of my face. I was suffocating under the weight of my own body.

Just before my lungs could actually burst, a pair of strong hands gripped my shoulder, flipping me gently on to my back. As my face, eyes still closed, was exposed to the warm evening breeze, there was a strangled cry.

"Oh gods, it's her!"

_They're talking about me_, I thought dimly. The simple thought took all my concentration. Do they know me? Do I know them?

I couldn't remember anything except for running through the night as if my life depended on it, the growls behind us as the hellhounds gained on us, the tightness of Annabeth's hand in one of mine and Luke's in the other-

Annabeth. Luke. _Annabeth. Luke_.

Where were they? They were my family, all I had. _Where were they?_

Because I was certain they were not here. After living so close to them for two years, I knew their sounds. I might not be able to open my eyes, but I couldn't hear Annabeth's quick, seven-year-old breaths. I couldn't hear the thump-thump of Luke's heart, more familiar to me than my own.

I tried to say his name, but all that came out was a moan.

I dimly heard a commotion as people- children it sounded like- yelled. Right next to me, I could hear heavy, uneven breathing as if someone was struggling not to cry.

Footsteps in the grass. A crowd was gathering.

Had there been a crowd?

It was so blurry. I clearly remembered running, Grover ahead of us, urging us on. I remembered pain as my injured leg flared up and I fell. Annabeth had fallen too, pulled down by the shift in weight. She'd squealed.

Luke had tried to pick me up, but I'd pushed him away, hadn't I? I'd told him to carry Annabeth, to get her to safety. I'd made him swear.

And he had. He'd disappeared with Annabeth in his arms, screaming her lungs out at leaving me behind.

And then... I had turned to Grover. My exact words came back to me, along with the echoing screeches of the three Furies, who had finally caught up.

_"Go, Grover! You have to make sure they get there! They're after me, not any of you. And I will not live like a hunted animal. Even if I go into that camp, they'll follow me, forever! And I'm done! I am a daughter of Zeus, and I will never, ever run again."_

He'd protested but I'd forced him. He'd backed away reluctantly as the first hellhound came into sight.

I remembered glancing behind me, seeing Luke struggling up the incline with Annabeth, just as injured as I was. They weren't going to make it. I was the only thing standing between this army and my family.

Annabeth, I'd thought.

Jason.

_Luke_.

All the people I had cared about in my entire life. The thought of them had given me strength to stand unmoving as they'd charged towards me.

Steel on steel, my spear in flesh, dodging, weaving slashing.

_Annabeth. Jason. Luke._

...but that wasn't metal I was hearing now...

Jab, duck, block... All there had been in the world was the fight.

...were those hooves?

And then there had been pain. Fangs sank deep into my shoulder and I had stumbled, creating an opening for all the other monsters to crowd forward. I'd tried calling the lightning, but there were too many and I could feel my blood pouring out.

As the darkness had come, I had prayed to my father one last time. _Protect them, please. I gave my life for them, protect them. _Then there had been a sensation of rising, of a burning deep within me, and there was nothing. Then, I'd fallen.

And now the hoofbeats were coming nearer, and I heard a sorrowful voice say, "... And the poison was not the only thing it purged."

The person next to me suddenly rustled as they sprang up. "It... she... just suddenly there." That voice again. Familiar, yet... off.

More footsteps. Human, but heavier than the person who'd been kneeling next to me.

"Percy, wait!"

A second voice huffed, "It's true. I can't believe..." I really, _really _knew that voice.

A hand was placed on my forehead, and a boy's voice said, " She needs nectar and ambrosia." I must have made it to camp if they had the food of the gods.

"Come on!" the voice continued, agitated. "What's wrong with you people? Let's get her to the Big House." Although the voice was young, it possessed an indefinable air of authority.

I felt someone gently lift me up, propping my shoulders against their body. I summoned all my strength and opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was a boy's face, about my age, with messy black hair and sea-green eyes. Beyond his head, I could see a mass of teenage kids in a mix of armor and pajamas, but the two I was searching for weren't there.

I refocused on the boy holding me. "Who-"

"I'm Percy," he said in a soothing voice. "You're safe now."

"Strangest dream..." I muttered, unable to believe my memories were real. I should be dead. I should...

"It's okay," the boy- Percy- told me.

But it wasn't, and I tried to tell him so. "Dying..."

"No, you're okay," he reassured me. "What's your name?"

How could they not know? Hadn't Luke and Annabeth made it? Hadn't they told them about me?

There was a gleam in Percy's eye that made me think that he already knew the answer, but I said it anyway.

"I am Thalia. Daughter of Zeus."

And then it all became too much and I blacked out.

* * *

I've always hated when people wake up and ask, "Where am I?" It's just stupid. You should never give away when you're awake, in case there are enemies in the room. Also, if you really can't figure it out, then it's your own damn fault.

So the next time I woke up, I didn't move at all, feigning sleep while I assessed the situation. I could feel something soft under me- a bed? I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept in a bed. I couldn't hear much; just vague voices and laughter that seemed to be coming from a long way away.

I cracked my eyelids. I seemed to be in some sort of infirmary. It was light and airy, but it was also empty.

No, wait- it wasn't. Next to me was a dark haired boy fast asleep in a chair, as if he'd been sitting vigil. Carefully, I raised myself out of bed.

I was still in my ragged clothes, but my wounds were gone. It was wierd. How long had I been out?

I checked my pockets. Thank the gods, my spear was still there in mace-canister form, and Aegis was still in bracelet form on my wrist. They were my weapons, the only gifts from my-

My father.

I'd prayed to him as I was dying. Had he answered my prayers for once? Had he saved my life? The thought gave me a funny feeling in my stomach. He cared. He really did. But I shook myself out of it.

My father wasn't my family. My family was Annabeth and Luke, and they were still missing.

I tried to pull myself out of the bed, but my legs were still too weak to support my weight and I fell. The thump disturbed the boy, Percy, and he woke with a start.

"You're awake," he said stupidly. His bright green eyes were still staring at me as if he half-thought I was a mirage.

He stood, reaching out a hand to help me up and I panicked. I didn't really know where I was, I didn't know who he was, I didn't even know if my family was alive, and there was no way in Hades I was going to let him anywhere near me.

Before he could blink, my spear was out of my pocket and transformed, its tip at his throat. He froze.

Yes, I know what I said, but I needed to know. "Where am I?" My voice seemed a bit off.

Percy was staring at me like I was insane. "You're at camp. Camp Half-Blood. It's okay, you're safe."

As if I would trust him. "Where is Annabeth? Where is Luke? They were right ahead of me..." I trailed off, suddenly terrified. What would I do if they hadn't made it? No. _Concentrate,_ I told myself. "Where are they?" I demanded again.

Percy spoke slowly and soothingly, as if he was trying to talk me off a ledge. "Annabeth will want to know you're up. She sat up with you for two whole days, but then Chiron had to order her back to her cabin so she could get some real sleep. She made us promise to call her when you woke up. Will you let me call her?"

I thought about it then nodded, lowering my weapon. Somehow, I didn't think he would hurt me.

He backed out of the room, and I was left alone. I sat on the edge of the bed, massaging my temples. Everything felt wrong. I didn't know why, but nothing felt like it was supposed to. There was suddenly a clopping sound outside of the door. My spear was in my hand again.

In the doorway stood a tall man with light brown hair and a beard. Except he wasn't a man. His bottom half was a horse. "You're Chiron," I said, amazed. "The centaur."

He inclined his head politely. "And you are Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus?"

I scowled. "I don't use my last name."

"Of course."

There was a short pause.

"Um, sir," I figured it would be best to be polite. "That boy ran off to get Annabeth, but he didn't say anything about Luke. Is... Is he okay?"

Chiron stared at me, his eyes filled with sadness. "As far as I know, my dear, Luke is well. I will let Annabeth explain it to you." Normally I hated anyone calling me 'my dear' or anything like that, but I didn't really mind as much when Chiron said it. I guess it was because he didn't seem patronizing at all. Rather, he seemed as if, in the few moments he'd been standing here talking to me, he really truly cared. I hadn't seen that outside of my family in a long time.

"How's Grover?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

The old centaur looked like he was picking his words with care. "He is very well. I think he is quite happy to be back in the safety of camp."

I snorted. "He's such a baby. That boy who was here said that I've been in here for a couple of days. Are you telling me he's still recovering from the trip here?"

Chiron wouldn't look at me. "I did not mean your trip."

"What?" Where else could Grover have gone in the past few days?

Chiron still didn't look up. "I wonder, my dear, if you could tell me the last thing you remember?"

I thought. "The other night. We were running towards camp, and we weren't going to make it. I told the others to go ahead. And then... there was a fight... I guess I blacked out, because the next thing I knew there were people around, and all the monsters were gone. That Percy boy was there. Then I woke up here."

I could tell by his face that something was wrong. Like, really wrong. Before he could try to get it out, I rushed, "Look, this doesn't really matter. Where's Annabeth and Luke? Are they okay? Did they make it to the border?"

Chiron's horse half was shifting nervously and he didn't answer. Anxiety started gnawing at my stomach, turning to anger like usual. I dropped the politeness.

"I said, are they okay? Did. They. Make. It?"

I was advancing towards him, spear in hand. Suddenly, there was a squeak behind me.

A girl stood in the same doorway that Percy had used to exit. She had long, curly blond hair and familiar startling grey eyes. If I had to guess, I would say she was around thirteen, give or take a year.

Her eyes were fixed on me, and she took an almost unconscious step forward. "Thalia?" she whispered.

She took another step forward, and I stepped back.

"Thalia, it's me, it's Annabeth." Her voice was pleading.

"No," I said, backing away farther. "Annabeth is seven." My voice shook.

"I swear, it's me," the not-Annabeth said, getting even closer.

"You're not," I insisted, my voice shaking more than ever. "You can't be." But then why were those eyes, those curls, so familiar?

She approached even closer, and I raised my spear, but it was wobbling so much that it wasn't much of a threat.

Still, Annabeth- no, not Annabeth, _not_ Annabeth- stopped.

"Thalia... You have to trust me. Listen to me. Luke always said we were family. He gave me this knife." She held out a bronze knife, its handle pointing towards me. I took it and my blood ran cold. It really was Annabeth's knife.

"You two took me in," she continued, those grey eyes on me. "We were a family. And then Grover found us and brought us here. We ran up the side of the hill, and you fell. You told Luke to take me, and he carried me away."

"I remember," I whispered.

Her eyes were brimming with tears now. "You stayed on that hill, Thalia. You fought them so we could reach the camp. And we did. You saved us."

"But..." I knew all this already. But what had happened? How did I get here?

Annabeth's eyes were burning into mine, filled with years of grief. "Thalia, that was almost seven years ago."

I was paralyzed. I could think of a hundred things to say, from _You're lying_, to _That's not possible_, but nothing came out.

Seven years.

Fuck.

"How?" I didn't even remember asking the question, but my mouth moved and my ears registered it so I must have.

Chiron answered this time. "As you were dying, your father turned you into a tree. Your spirit was still alive within the tree, protecting this camp's borders. Recently, a quest retrieved the Golden Fleece, the magic of which must have healed and revived you."

A tree. A fucking tree.

But my father had still answered my prayer, hadn't he? My spirit had protected the camp, more specifically, protected Luke and Annabeth.

But really, a _tree_?

"Where's Luke?" I needed time to process the whole tree thing, but Luke couldn't wait.

Tears really were running down Annabeth's face, but she just shook her head as if to say later.

Something occured to me. "Where's a mirror?" Seven years had passed. Was I in my twenties? I felt a bit bigger than I remembered, but surely not that big?

Annabeth took my hand and pulled me through the house until we came to a bathroom with a full length mirror. I stared at myself in shock.

I wasn't twelve anymore, but I wasn't in my twenties either. I looked to be about fifteen, maybe a year or so older than Annabeth.

You wouldn't think that three years could make such a big difference, but it does.

I was maybe four inches taller. My hair, oddly enough, looked exactly as it had before- black and spiky- but the face it framed was more oval, less childish. Similarly, my limbs were longer and more lean. It wasn't like I'd been fat before- if anything I'd been in need of a few good meals- but now I looked leaner, more muscular.

There were other changes too. My hips seemed wider, and oh my god. I had breasts. _Real_ breasts.

Those hadn't been there when I was twelve.

I reached out a finger to stroke the image reflected in the mirror. How could that be me?

Annabeth laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and I could tell that she was worried about me. No matter how old she was, she still retained those little tells. A slight pull on the corner of her mouth. The faintest of creases in her forehead. It was proof I guess. This was really my little Annabeth. This was really me.

I couldn't stand it.

I spun away from Annabeth, racing out the door into the summer evening. I could hear her calling my name, but I didn't look back. I just ran as hard and fast as I could.

Finally, I saw it. The road. The hill.

The tree.

It was a great towering pine with gnarled branches and quivering needles. On a low branch hung the Golden Fleece. It really was beautiful, but I couldn't properly appreciate it.

I circled the trunk, my fingers trailing across the rough bark, until I found it. A hole, almost completely closed, that dug deep into the tree's trunk. Below it was a dried trickle of dark sap.

That was it. That was why I was back. They didn't mean to bring me back, probably didn't even know it would work. No, they went to find the Golden Fleece because someone had poisoned the tree. _My_ tree.

My tree that was all that was left of my sacrifice.

What kind of bastard would do that?

I made a silent swear that I would find whoever dared to do this to what was essentially me. They would pay.

The wind whispering through the needles reminded me of the songs I used to sing to Jason when he was cranky. God knows our mother wouldn't have. I tried to do the math. If he hadn't died, he would have been... twelve?

And what about Luke? If he's still aging, he really would be in his twenties now. Except... what if he was dead? It had been almost seven years. Anything could have happened. Sure, Chiron had said he was okay, but I didn't really know him and no one would give me a straight answer.

I sank to the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs. What had I done to deserve this?

* * *

Annabeth found me soon enough.

I think she might have been subtly giving me time to pull myself together, because I have no doubt that she could have figured out where I was in a second.

But it was thoughtful of her.

When she sat down next to me, I leaned forward and gripped one of her hands. "Annabeth."

She looked me in the eyes and I was certain she knew what I was going to ask.

"What happened to Luke?"

Her eyes started to brim up with tears and I feared the worst.

"Oh, Thalia," she said, her voice shaky. "I'm so sorry."

"Is he dead?"

Her eyes were shut tight, but tears still squeezed their way out. "No. He's alive"

Alive! Thank the gods. But then why was she crying?

"Where is he?" I asked yet again.

Annabeth's voice was more bitter than I had ever heard it. "Kronos is rising again, and Luke... Luke is helping him. He betrayed us. He betrayed us all. _He_ poisoned your tree."

It was worse than I'd ever imagined.

Luke was a traitor.

And I still loved him.


	2. I Am Given A Tour

**Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

Luke betrayed me.

And I still loved him.

No, not like _that._ I am- I mean, I _was_ twelve. Twelve. Most twelve year olds running for their lives don't think about dating or whatever.

Besides, I didn't feel like that towards him. I loved him. I was not _in_ love with him. He was closer to me than a brother, since Jason was dead, and had been my very best friend in the entire world. Sure, Annabeth was pretty high up there too, but there had been a bit of an age gap. I didn't always tell her the things I told Luke. I didn't want her to pick up any bad ideas. While Athena is all about knowledge and expanding your vocabulary, I doubt she would have liked the kind of words I could have taught her daughter.

But everything I hid from everyone else, I told to Luke.

He was my family.

And I'd always thought that that bond was so much stronger and more sacred than anything else, but apparently he didn't feel the same way.

The problem was, I could just see Luke doing something like this. He'd always resented the gods. I'd only gotten the barest glimpse as to why when I met his mother. She had seemed insane enough when I saw her, and that was without the prophetic fits that Luke had always told me about.

And Luke's father, Hermes, had been there. They'd argued. Personally, I totally agreed with Luke. His dad leaves him alone with his insane mom for his whole life, then just shows up after he's finally found a real family? That just sucked.

But Luke hadn't just found a way to get back at his dad. He was destroying all of civilization. As much as I disliked the Olympians, I knew enough mythology to know that Titans would be so much worse.

Wanting to focus on something else, I turned to Annabeth. We were back in the Big House now, hanging out in a spare bedroom. I wasn't going to be moved to the Zeus cabin, Cabin One, until tomorrow. So we sat on the bed and I asked, "So what's happened since... since I last saw you?" Look, I already knew that seven years was too much to tell about in one conversation, but how else was I supposed to ask?

Annabeth started telling me all about her first few years at camp. I admit, I was shocked when she mentioned that she's been living with her dad recently. I'd thought she hated him.

When she paused to take a breath, I asked, "Who was that kid who was there when I woke up? It sounded like he was pretty scared of you." I meant it as a joke, but I really was serious. Something about Percy bothered me, as if he was dangerous or something.

Annabeth looked amused at my description of him. "That was Percy Jackson. If he's smart, which he usually isn't, then he should be afraid of me."

I smirked, happy to realize that I still really, really liked Annabeth as a friend. "Why? Have you beaten him up before?" What? It's a genuine question. I've personally beaten up my fair share of boys. Not that I was trying to bully them. Usually, it was just because they really needed to learn some respect for me.

Annabeth just laughed harder and said, "No, I'm not entirely sure that I could beat him in a fight. Don't tell him I said that though."

"Whose son is he?" What with the way he talked to the campers the other night and the way Annabeth was talking him up, I was starting to wonder if this Percy Jackson wasn't someone really important.

"He's the son of Poseidon," Annabeth answered me.

"_What?_ Poseidon_ broke the oath?_ That's- that's unbelievable! How could he-"

"Thalia! Calm down," Annabeth ordered. "It's not like it's Percy's fault."

I stared at her, disbelieving. "He _broke_ the oath! He shouldn't even have been born!"

There was a slightly defensive look in Annabeth's eye now. "Don't you think that's a little hypocritical? If Percy shouldn't have been born, neither should _you_!"

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that. Annabeth must be really close to this guy if she's sticking up for him like that. " You have a point," I said slowly. "But still, the fact that the oath was broken is not good for anyone, including him. I'm proof enough of that."

Annabeth looked stricken. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It doesn't matter. Let's go meet people. I'm so sick of being stuck inside." Maybe it was a result of being inside a huge tree for a few years, but indoors suddenly felt cramped to me. It might also have been because I still remembered camping outdoors with Luke and Annabeth as if it were yesterday.

Despite the heavy clouds and distant booms of thunder, not a single drop of rain was falling within the camp. Annabeth must have seen me glance at the sky, because she explained, "The weather here is enchanted. Rain or storms pass right around us."

"Unless," added a voice behind us, "You manage to piss off Zeus. Not something I would recommend."

"Percy!" Annabeth cried, spinning around with a smile that I had never seen before. Immediately, I realized something. I probably would have been able to see this even if I was still a tree.

Annabeth liked this guy. As in, _like_ liked.

I wasn't even sure if she was aware of it, let alone if he was, but I was completely absolutely certain that she had a major crush on him. As if my life wasn't going to be complicated enough without having to talk to her about it.

Percy was still coming towards us, his dark hair ruffled and messy and his sea green eyes sparkling with excitement.

Apparently he still wanted to meet me, despite my not-so-stellar first impression of trying to kill him.

He reached us and paused awkwardly, as if not sure what to say. "You're, uh, Thalia."

"Yes," I replied stiffly. He had to already know that. He wasn't an idiot, was he?

Annabeth rolled her eyes next to me. "Good job figuring out the completely obvious, Seaweed Brain, considering she told you her name the other night and it's all I've been talking about for two days."

He scowled slightly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Wise Girl. We can't all be geniuses." He turned to me. "I'm Percy, Percy Jackson."

"Yeah, I've heard," I said cooly.

He looked surprised. "Oh, okay. So, have you seen Cabin One yet?"

Suspiciously, I answered, "No, why?" Was there something wrong with the cabin?

Percy grinned at me. "I've never been inside, and I was kind of hoping I could tag along."

Oh. So he was just curious. I guess that was fair, but I wasn't particularly thrilled that he was along for the ride. "Fine," I decided. "But you guys have to let me go in first."

"Why?" Percy demanded.

I started getting irritated. Who did this guy think he was? "Because it's _my_ cabin and I've never seen it before either."

He probably would have protested if Annabeth hadn't shut him up with a meaningful glance. She guided both of us towards the mass of cabins.

The cabins were arranged in a kind of horseshoe with the gods on one side and goddesses on the other. Ares was pretty obvious, as were Apollo, Demeter, and Aphrodite. The others I had to guess on, but it wasn't particularly hard.

At one end stood two cabins that quite honestly looked more like temples- or like tombs. Even from across the central firepit, I could tell that they were abandoned and lifeless.

That's not to say they weren't beautiful. The smaller of the two, which could only have been Hera's, was graceful and dainty, with shimmering images of peacock feathers on the doors. The other, which was by far the largest and grandest of all the cabins, had enormous bronze doors emblazoned with lightning. A number one gleamed on the frame.

Home sweet home.

I walked up to the huge doors, glaring at Percy to make sure he stayed back. The doors swung open surprisingly easily for such heavy pieces of metal and I slipped inside.

* * *

The center of the cabin was dominated by a huge statue of my father dressed in a traditional toga. Above him, artificial thunder and lightning rumbled and flashed across the ceiling. There wasn't a single bed in the entire place.

I felt smaller than usual. This whole stupid place was just a mausoleum. After the pact, they'd never dreamed that anyone would actually live here. I was just an afterthought, a mistake.

Behind me, I heard someone say, "Wow."

I wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Percy standing there with his mouth hanging open stupidly.

"I thought I told you to wait outside!" I hissed, furious.

He seemed taken aback by the force of my anger. "I did!" he replied defensively. "You didn't say how long to wait!"

"You should have waited until I came to get you!" I said in a loud and fierce voice, hoping he would back off.

He didn't. "How was I supposed to know that?" he asked angrily.

"Use your brains, if you have any! I wanted to be alone!" I shouted in his face.

He yelled right back, "Well, I'm so sorry! You said to let you go in first, so obviously I should have waited until you came out and fetched me in three hours, like you _didn't _tell me to!"

"Just get out!" I screamed at him.

He backed away, muttering something that I didn't think was a compliment. A moment later, there was a faint tap at the door.

"Go away, Percy!"

Annabeth stuck her head through and sighed. "You two are fighting already? Honestly, I leave for five seconds and you two are about to kill eachother."

"Where were you?" I asked accusingly.

In answer, she tossed me a large squishy bundle. A sleeping bag.

"Oh. Thanks." I felt guilty for snapping at her.

She nodded in reply. "It's the best we can do. There aren't really any bunks that we could move in here, so you'll have to make do tomorrow."

I glared up at the statue of Zeus. "Maybe not the best design plan for a cabin."

"No, I guess not. If I had designed this, I would have put..." She started going off about some sort of architectural stuff, which she apparently had a real interest in.

"Cool," I said when she paused for breath. "Do you want to show me around camp?"

"Oh, right." She lead the way out of the cabin.

* * *

Camp seemed pretty cool. I was not thrilled with the climbing wall, though. Just looking at how high it was sent a shiver down my spine. I would need some excuse to avoid that. The other stuff was pretty awesome. I couldn't wait to try out the archery range, which was always something I had wanted to learn. The training arena wasn't bad either.

As we wandered around, I noticed a lot of campers pointing at me and whispering. Oh fun. Let's all gossip about the tree girl.

We were just circling back around to the cabins when a particularly large and ugly looking girl blocked our path.

"That's her?"

The question must have been adressed to Annabeth, because I had no idea what the girl was talking about.

Annabeth looked wary, but introduced us. "Thalia, this is Clarisse, daughter of Ares. Clarisse, Thalia. Clarisse was the one who brought back the Golden Fleece."

Clarisse shot a glance at her as if expecting that to be followed by an insult, but Annabeth remained quiet.

I stepped forward, holding out my hand. "I guess I have you to thank for being here."

Clarisse shook it briefly then said, "I've heard Annabeth's stories. It sounds like you're a real hero."

I felt my face get a bit red. "I did what I had to do."

"I know." Clarisse nodded to me respectfully and walked away. Beside me, Annabeth let out a low whistle.

"I think that's the first and probably the last time I'll ever see Clarisse being so polite. You must really have impressed her. I guess that's why she organized all those patrols and watches on your tree."

"What?"

"Long story."

We watched Clarisse duck into the Ares cabin. The other campers seemed to be whispering and pointing at us more than ever.

"Oh, come on," I muttered under my breath. "Do these people really have nothing better to do?"

Annabeth chuckled. "Actually, it's Clarisse. She usually greets new kids by giving them a swirly. Everyone was really looking forward to seeing you electrocute her, but I guess she's smart enough to know not to mess with you."

That really made me smile. I glanced towards the training arena. "Hey Annabeth? Want to spar?" I asked, grinning evilly. I couldn't wait to see how good she was now.

She looked a bit embarrassed. "What if I already know you'll kick my butt?" Ha! I knew she was smart.

But that still left me distinctly partner-less. "Then who should I fight?"

"I don't think you should be fighting anyone. You're still not completely recov-"

"I'll fight you," Percy interrupted. Man, he needed to stop sneaking up on people. And following us. It seemed like I couldn't even turn around without tripping over him.

Oddly enough, he looked very calm. Not at all like the only reason he wanted to fight me was to get revenge for our argument.

"Fine. Weapons?" I asked confidently.

He just shrugged, unconcerned. "I have a sword, but I don't know what you fight with."

In answer, I pulled out my mace canister and it expanded into the spear. I also tapped my bracelet, which morphed into Aegis. Like everyone, he flinched a bit at the sight of my shield, but oddly enough, he seemed almost prepared for it, as if he'd seen Aegis before.

"Go get your sword," I told him.

Instead of running off like I expected, he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of those cheap disposable pens. What in Hades?

To my disbelief, he pulled off the cap and it expanded into a glowing bronze sword. Oh. Okay, that makes a bit more sense.

We began to circle slowly, not taking our eyes off of eachother. A crowd had begun to gather, cheering and booing us both equally.

I jabbed experimentally at his feet and he dodged nimbly, aiming a strike at my side in return.

I deflected it easily with Aegis.

He grinned at me, as if anticipating a good fight, and charged.

I've got to hand it to him, he is damn good.

We both struck, parried, and spun around eachother at a blinding speed. I fought as fiercely as I had on that hill so recently yet so long ago.

To my delight, I was still in perfect shape.

To my disgust, I still couldn't beat him.

He didn't seem to be able to beat me either. We flowed from stance to stance, neither able to gain an advantage. We were too evenly matched.

I started getting tired, and I knew that Percy had a greater endurance than I did. In desperation, I resorted to a dirty trick. As his blade collided with the tip of my spear, I sent electricity arcing up it, blasting the sword right out of his hand.

He froze for only an instant, then backed away. I didn't understand why he was still bothering. His sword was at the other end of the arena, and I was right in the way. All I had to do to win would be to march up and gently touch him with my spear.

I had just taken my first step towards him when I was suddenly hit by what felt like a dam's worth of water. I staggered to one side, sputtering.

I only barely looked up in time to block the sword swinging toward my back. How in Hades had he gotten his sword back? There was no way he could have made it over there and back! And where had that water come from?

I nearly slapped myself. Water. Son of Poseidon. Duh.

I straightened up, ready to resume battle when I heard the sound of a conch being blown. Everyone stopped what they were doing and began swarming up towards the dining pavilion.

I glanced at Percy, whose sword had magically disappeared. Back in pen form in his pocket, I bet. He grinned and cocked one thumb towards the dining pavilion as if to say, Dinner first, fighting later!

Okay then. It looked like our little sparring session was a draw.

* * *

At dinner, I discovered that being an only child at Camp Half-Blood really sucks.

I sat alone at the Zeus table. Campers had to sit with their cabins, so Annabeth was off with her siblings. I could see Percy alone at the Poseidon table, and he didn't look any happier about the arrangements.

I felt a bit of pity for him. I'd never considered that he had to deal with being a kid of the Big Three just like I did.

I ran after him when dinner was over, intending to apologize. He turned as I called his name.

"Look," I said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."

He looked surprised. "It was my fault. I should have waited."

"Yes, you should have, but I shouldn't have taken everything out on you."

He smiled, and I realized that he was actually a pretty cool guy for just letting that kind of thing slide. "You're a really good fighter," he told me.

"You too," I returned the compliment. Annabeth appeared beside us.

"No fighting?" she asked.

"No fighting," we agreed.

The three of us wandered down to the beach and sprawled across the sand. Percy was really in his element this close to the sea. He kept zoning out of our discussion and making tiny spouts of water shoot straight up from the surf. It was pretty impressive, but I had a feeling he was showing off.

After a little while, Annabeth started telling me about their adventures together. For once Percy payed attention, as if interested to hear Annabeth's opinion on their multiple quests. I was just as riveted.

They'd battled the Furies on a greyhound bus?

They'd killed Medusa? (Although that explained Percy's reaction to Aegis...)

The tale kept getting crazier and crazier, and by the end I was practically speechless.

"So you two along with Grover traveled across the country to retrieve my father's master bolt, which he thought _you_ stole, got into the Underworld and got back out alive after finding out that Hades' helm had also been stolen, battled and defeated the god of war, and flew the most powerful weapon in the world home on a plane with a 50/50 chance that my father would shoot you out of the sky?"

"He couldn't have _shot_ us down," Percy pointed out. "The whole point was that the bolt was gone. He might have _knocked_ us out of the sky, but there was no way he would have with the bolt on board."

I shook my head in amazement. "And then you figured out that it was really Kronos manipulating you the whole time."

"Well..." Percy looked really uncomfortable. He glanced at Annabeth for help.

She sighed, and told him, "She already knows about Luke."

_Oh._

Percy dug his toes into the sand. "When I got back, Luke lured me out into the woods and tried to kill me. He set a pit scorpion on me and I almost died. But before he left, he told me that he was the real thief and that Kronos would rise again and all that bull."

I sighed. "What happened to him?"

Percy looked confused. "Nothing. He got away fine."

"No," I said, shaking my head furiously. "What happened to change him so much?"

Annabeth laid her hand on my shoulder. "Part of it was probably you. As far as we knew, you really were dead. He was distraught."

"Dis-what?" Percy interjected.

"Distraught, Seaweed Brain. It means upset." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "But it was more than that. A few years ago, Luke was given a quest to fetch the golden apples of the Hesperides. He failed. Ladon, the dragon that guards them, gave him a huge scar down the side of his face. Luke was always so proud. I think that he never really cared about the quest in the first place, but when it failed he was humiliated. After that quest, he was so much angrier. We really drifted apart. And then Percy arrived, and the quest..." Annabeth looked sad.

I thought that maybe she still cared about Luke, despite the fact that she'd had so long to get used to his betrayal.

We sat there for a long time, staring out into the white-capped waves.


	3. Percy Meets A Horse

**Disclaimer- I do not own PJO.**

I swear to Zeus, I was going to end up killing Percy Jackson.

Can that boy even _take_ a hint?

It seemed like we couldn't even go _two stupid days_ without a repeat of our little skirmish.

I really don't think I started it. I would say it's fair that if you, oh, I don't know, were a tree for seven years, you'd be entitled to a little alone time with your best girlfriend. Am I right?

Apparently, Mister _All-Important-Son-of-the-Sea-God_ didn't agree.

Annabeth and I had retreated into the cobwebby depths of Cabin One, since it was out of the way and therefore we could talk about everything that was going on without being overheard. Sick of being stared at by that creepy statue of my dad, I'd dragged one of the great bronze braziers out of the way to create a private little alcove.

We sat cross-legged, each leaning against one of the cool marble walls of the nook. The stone was positively icy where it touched the skin exposed by the many holes in my ragged black t-shirt. Honestly, all my clothes had just about had it, but I was reluctant to throw them out. They were a link to sanity, to who I really was. I was a rebel. I wore black. That's just how things were. There was no way they were ever going to get me into one of those bright orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirts. I didn't do 'bright'.

I was thinking about my desperate need for a shopping trip as I asked, "Do they ever let us out of here for a bit?"

Annabeth looked uncomfortable. "Not usually. Kids only ever leave for quests or at the end of the summer session. Except... there are some kids who stay here full time, because they would attract too many monsters otherwise." She shot a meaningful look at me and I got it.

"I'm stuck here? They do know that I was on the run for _years_, and I survived pretty damn well!" I practically spat.

As a daughter of Zeus, I do not do orders well.

Annabeth opened her mouth to say something consoling, but just then there was a knock at the door.

Immediately, I jumped up. The only ones who ever came to Cabin One were Chiron and Annabeth herself, and I had quickly learned that cabin visits from Chiron were serious.

But with my luck, of course I didn't get to see Chiron. In fact, I was probably fortunate it was only Percy.

He was standing there with that stupid look on his face like he hasn't got a clue what's going on.

"Uh, hey Thalia," he greeted me. "I was looking for Annabeth. Malcolm said he saw her heading over here, so..."

"Yep, she's here," I informed him, hoping he would take the hint when I didn't move from the doorway and leave. But he's Percy Jackson, so of course he didn't. He couldn't take a hint if it slapped him with the Golden Fleece.

"Annabeth," I called glumly. "Percy's here to see you."

She appeared at my shoulder so fast that I wondered how she'd gotten therr. "Percy!" she said happily, though I did notice her wary glance in my direction. "What's up?"

"Wondered where you disappeared to!" he said with equal cheeriness. He had the nerve to literally squeeze past me into my own cabin when I was quite clearly blocking the doorway. Let me repeat, _my_ cabin.

_Stupid, obnoxious, kelp-headed, arrogant..._ I took a deep breath. I shouldn't let myself get angry at him.

"So, Percy," Annabeth said, trying to start any conversation to ease the palpable tension in the cabin, l we were just talking about the difference between a summer camper and year-round camper. Percy's just here for summers," she informed me.

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised. Percy was a Big Three kid, so monsters would be all over him too. And from what I had heard, he actually had family he cared about. Being with them would only put them in danger.

"If I wasn't how would I keep up my perfect record of getting kicked out of at least one school a year?" Percy joked sarcastically.

"One a year?" I asked, impressed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" he protested. "I just get blamed for everything. Accidents, pranks, ADHD moments, monster attacks... You name it."

Annabeth smirked at him. "He really does. Last time, he was blamed when a bunch of Laistrygonians blew up his school's gym. And before that, when we were on our first quest, he was the subject of a national manhunt."

"How did you get out of that one?"

Percy shrugged. "Said that Ares was a crazy kidnapper. A few fake tears. The newspeople just ate it up."

I looked at Annabeth for translation. She just shrugged, so I guess he was being serious. Wow. I guess mortals really do buy anything.

I turned back to Percy. "And the other times?"

He put on his best innocent expression. "Accidents and misunderstandings, I swear."

I snorted at how very unconvincing he sounded, and for a moment I could almost believe that I was sitting around a campfire with a very different boy and a much younger Annabeth, laughing at some stupid joke. But then it passed, and I felt more alone then ever.

"Excuse me for a bit, won't you guys?" Without waiting for an answer, I stood and ran out of the cabin.

I headed straight for my tree. It was still there, a constant and necessary reminder that this all really really was real and not some bizarre dream.

I was about fifteen, Annabeth was around thirteen, there was a son of Poseidon running around, Luke was evil, and the tree was there. These facts were somehow interconnected. If I could prove one true, then the rest were true.

I hoped.

* * *

During the last few days of summer session, Annabeth and I were inseperable. We did our activities together, spent free time together, and Annabeth even (much to Percy's displeasure) agreed to be my partner in the last major camp competition of the summer- one last chariot race.

Annabeth agreed to leave Percy their chariot from the last race, but it was hardly charity. Everyone knew that Percy would have to make some major modifications, if not build an entirely new chariot, since Annabeth knew the old one inside and out.

In the meantime, Annabeth and I put together the coolest chariot I had ever seen. It was sky blue with a portrait of Medusa on the front. Seeing as Athena had created both the monster and the original Aegis bearing her head, and had then presented it to Zeus, it reflected both of our cabins. It also had the added bonus of causing anyone who saw it intense fear, much like my shield.

Annabeth added all sorts of gadgets and dirty tricks to give us an advantage. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she was pretty nervous that Percy might still beat us.

"He's got nothing," I reassured her. "Without you or his brother the cyclops, he's totally screwed in the building department."

Surprisingly, Annabeth suddenly glared up at me. "'His brother the cyclops'? His name is Tyson!"

I was shocked by her defensiveness, but unwilling to back down. "Tyson, huh? That does flow easier than backstabbing, one-eyed, untrustworthy monster, doesn't it?"

Annabeth flushed. "Tyson is really nice! He saved our lives so many times when we were looking for the Golden Fleece, and he was claimed by Poseidon."

"And we all know how much you like Poseidon's kids," I muttered under my breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," I said innocently. It wasn't worth having Annabeth gut me over this.

We finished our chariot right on time for the race. It really was amazing. The Athena cabin had made it so streamlined it looked like a fighter jet. Well, a fighter jet made of wood vaguely shaped like a cup with an open back, but the point is it looked fast.

We were _so_ going to win.

* * *

The day of the race, we were woken by a horse kicking down Percy's door. Well, technically we weren't woken by the horse itself, but by Percy's bloodcurdling shriek.

I was out of bed and my spear was in my hand before I realized I was awake. Instinct, I guess. I only took a moment to make sure I was fully clothed before running out into the early morning light.

I was greeted by an odd sight- the tail end of a horse sticking out of Cabin Three. Its tail was swishing happily.

Annabeth joined me from the Athena cabin and we sidled up as close to the doorway as we could.

"Percy?" Annabeth called. "What is- Are you okay?"

The horse butt shifted uneasily as it realized that there were people behind it.

"I'm fine," Percy shouted, voice strained. "There's a horse in my cabin."

"We noticed," I replied, wincing as the horse's tail smacked me in the face. It felt like getting hit with a very stinky whip.

There was a scuffling inside the cabin and we could vaguely hear Percy talking... to the horse? This was just getting wierder and wierder.

"Um... Hi," we heard. "Why are you in my cabin? The ship? But that was a mare and you're... not." There was a snorting noise that I assumed was the horse. "Your mother? Okay, I guess that makes sense. But why are you here? No, no, no, I don't need to hear that. Ew. I meant, why are you here at camp. In my cabin. Speaking of which, can I get out?"

Very slowly, the horse began to back out of the doorway and I realized it wasn't a horse; it was a pegasus with pure black feathers. It looked quite pleased with itself when it was fully out, so I guess backing up isn't exactly easy for horses.

Percy emerged a moment later, dressed in a rumpled t-shirt and pajama bottoms. He looked rather bemused. He definitely wasn't a morning person. He froze when he saw us.

"Oh, uh... Good morning?" He said it as if he wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was morning.

Annabeth stepped forward, eyes narrowed. "Why was there a pegasus in your cabin?" Straight to the point, that one.

Percy scratched his head and yawned. "Apparently this is..." he paused and looked at the horse, then nodded as if the horse had responded. "Blackjack. He was on the Princess Andromeda and he escaped when the Party Ponies broke up the fight."

I stared at him. Princess Andromeda? Party Ponies? Fight? I had no clue what was going on, and it didn't really matter because I could only focus on one thing.

"You were just talking to a horse," I said in my best talking-to-a-crazy-person voice, which coincidentally might be a bit patronizing.

Percy seemed to think so, because he frowned. "Poseidon created horses. I can hear their thoughts."

He jumped like someone had just yelled in his ear. "Sorry, _pegasus_. He wants me to say that he is a pegasus and much cooler than a horse."

The hor- _pegasus_ whinnied in agreement.

Annabeth looked amused. "It's nice to meet you, Blackjack. But why did you come to Percy's cabin?" _Oh gods_, I thought. _Now she's talking to it too._

Percy looked at the horse and frowned. "Don't call me Lord."

"Lord?" I questioned.

Percy just glared at me before turning back to the horse. "He says that he wants to thank me for setting him free. But why did you have to do it this early?" he whined at Blackjack.

I'd had enough of this. "I'm going back to bed," I announced. "Have fun talking to the horse. Just make sure you're ready for the chariot race so we can kick your butt."

Percy gave me a searching look and smiled strangely. "I'll see you there." He hurtled back into his cabin, seeming oddly gleeful.

I turned to Annabeth. "What was that about?"

"I don't even try to figure out the workings of Percy's mind anymore." Annabeth shook her head, and the pegasus neighed in what I supposed was agreement.

* * *

The race was set to start right after lunch. By the time most campers had finished lunch, all the chariots had been set up, weapons had been readied, and horses had been strapped into place.

Chiron cantered into the arena once all the slow eaters had arrived.

"Campers!" he called, his voice carrying to all ends of the course. "The rules are as follows. Two horses per-" He broke off as screams rose from the direction of the presumably empty eating pavilion. Everyone was on their feet even before Chiron shouted, "To arms!"

We all raced off towards the shrieks. When we arrived, everything was a whirl of feathers. The camp's harpies, who served as sort of cleaning bird-ladies, were swooping around between the pavilion's columns, chasing-

Blackjack?

The pegasus was nimbly weaving and dodging, neighing what must have been the horse equivalent of _Missed me!_

The harpies were the source of the shrieking. They screeched with rage every time they just barely missed Blackjack. The campers watched, transfixed, until Chiron stepped in.

"STOP!" he bellowed.

Immediately, Blackjack landed and turned towards Chiron.

The centaur looked annoyed. "Return to the stables."

Blackjack complied, disappearing in a flash of wings.

I looked around for Percy, but didn't see him. I figured he was hiding in the crowd so that he wouldn't be yelled at. It was so Percy.

We trickled back to the arena and Chiron gave his speech for real. I finally located Percy, standing quietly in his chariot. He was the only team not to have a second rider.

Annabeth and I had agreed that she would drive and I would defend. It would be so easy. Our horses already seemed extremely docile and calm. They stood completely still, as if wishing to show how obedient they could be.

As Chiron prepared to give the order to start, I noticed that all the other teams of horses were similarly still. A nasty suspicion began to form in my head and I glanced at Percy. He was looking ominously smug.

"On your mark!" Chiron yelled.

Percy was looking way too confident for comfort.

"Get ready!"

What had he done?

"GO!"

I'd braced myself for the jolt as the horses leapt forward, but it never came.

What the Hades?

Our horses hadn't even twitched at the sound of the starting pistol. Annabeth was slapping the reins like crazy, but the horses took no notice.

The other teams had the exact same problem. A roar of swearing rose up from the other teams as they screamed at their unmoving horse. In fact, every single team was stuck except three; the Ares chariot pulled by skeletal horses, the Hephaestus chariot pulled by bronze automaton horses, and, of course, the Poseidon chariot.

My face flushed with fury as I realized what Percy had done. "_He fixed the fucking horses!_"

Annabeth stared at me with concern, and I realized that I was so angry that tiny sparks were rolling down my arms. I quickly shut them down. Already, the three remaining chariots were nearing the end of the first lap. Percy was far in the lead, leaning forward over the reins.

I raised my hand to hit him with a good bolt of lightning in revenge, but Annabeth grabbed my arm.

"No," she said. "Don't. I'm pissed that he fixed them too, but it's either going to be Percy that wins, or the Ares cabin. Do you want that?" It was true. As the two trailing chariots came around the bend, the Ares defender threw a spear through the wheels of the Hephaestus chariot, and it careened of the track and flipped. Reluctantly, I lowered my hand.

He flashed by us, grinning like an idiot. Ares had no chance. By the time Percy reached the finish line, they were still half a lap behind.

The crowd cheered like crazy as Chiron handed Percy the laurels. The other chariot teams, however, were glaring at Percy just like I was- as though they wanted to kill him.

As Percy was lifted up on the crowd's shoulders and carried away, he turned for a fraction of a second to look at Annabeth and me. I thought maybe he would mouth _Sorry_ or something like that, but no. Instead, he winked. Then he was gone, carried away by the tide of people. My last thought?

Percy Jackson was _so_ dead.


	4. I Break My Own Promise

**Disclaimer- I do not own PJO**

Have you ever gotten everything you asked for, just to find it was absolutely the opposite of anything you wanted? That was kind of how I felt when I finally got to leave camp.

Chiron introduced the idea a few days after the infamous chariot race. Unfortunately, Percy had been whisked home the moment camp ended, so I never had an opportunity to find out what he would look like without any eyebrows.

Annabeth, on the other hand, had agreed to stay an extra week before returning to her dad's house. I had a sneaking feeling that she was slightly worried about how I would react to being left alone.

I was kind of flattered that she cared.

Still, as much as I loved camp and hanging out with Annabeth, I still felt trapped within the borders. It was driving me crazy. For the last two years of my life (that I could remember), I hadn't stayed anywhere for more than a week. I missed the novelty, the adventures of always being somewhere new.

When I kept bothering him about leaving camp, Chiron finally proposed his plan for my future.

Boarding school. With Annabeth.

I just laughed.

"Chiron," I said through my chuckles, "You do realize I never even passed fifth grade? People might notice I don't know sh- er, stuff."

The centaur looked disapproving. I guess his natural teacher was too deeply ingrained. "You told me that you didn't want to stay at camp. 'Stuck here', I think are the words you used. I don't believe that monsters will trouble you that much, and with that technique i taught you, you can easily use the Mist to cover up any... accidents. This gives you everything you want. You get out of camp, you're with Annabeth... If you had an alternative, I'd be pleased to hear it."

I could feel the ever-present anger growing. "You could just let me travel around like we used to. Annabeth can stay here. I can look after myself."

"No," Chiron said firmly. "You might have been able to before, but with Kronos on the loose, it's too dangerous. He will do anything to get his hands on a child of the Big Three."

I groaned. "And you still won't tell me why?"

The old centaur smiled sadly. "You- and Percy as well- are more powerful than other demigods. If he could get even one of you on his side, he'd be... formidable." I got the feeling that what he said was completely true, but that he was leaving something out.

I wanted to punch a wall. I wanted to electrocute someone, preferably Percy Jackson. I did not want to go to some stupid school. I hadn't been forced into a classroom since I ran away from- from-

Home.

Oh gods, I was so stupid, so _selfish_. I'd been away for what, nine years? Ten years? As much as I hadn't gotten along with my mom, I'd always intended to return, to tell her that I'd survived without her, to show her that she was not the only thing that mattered. And... maybe tell her that I was sorry for disappearing so soon after she'd lost her other child. Because even she couldn't be heartless enough to not care... right?

Deep inside, I knew she'd probably only noticed for long enough to open another bottle.

On the bright side, monsters, myths, and other baddies would have left her alone once I was gone. Probably even Hera was off her case.

Wait a second. Hera. Jason.

What if my mom had been wrong, so long ago? Maybe... Maybe Jason wasn't dead. Ten years was a long time. Maybe Hera had been appeased by my apparent death. My mom had always said that the reason Jason was targeted was because Hera couldn't stand the thought of two children of Zeus under one roof. Once my death had whittled the number down to one, could she have returned him?

I glanced up at Chiron. No way could I tell him about that. If people made such a big deal over me being daugther of Zeus, knowing that there were once two of us would be twice as bad.

"Okay," I said finally. "I'll make you a deal. I'll go to school and be a good little mortal on one condition; you let me leave camp for one day, alone. I swear on the River Styx I'll come back at the end of the day."

Chiron was shaking his head before I'd even finished. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I must insist you take someone with you. Annabeth, Percy, even Grover. But under n circumstances should you be alone in the mortal world."

I glared at him for a moment, but then a thought struck me. An evil smile crept slowly across my face. "That's true. But you know I'll sneak out eventually. If not from camp, from whatever school you send me to. It'll happen one way or another."

I felt a tiny bit sorry for the frustrated old centaur. If I did get hurt or captured on my own, my dad would probably fry him alive. Well, maybe. I wasn't entirely sure how much Dad cared. Or noticed. He'd been watching when I die- _almost_ died before, but I still was a bit miffed that he thought the whole tree thing was doing me much of a favor.

Chiron, however, seemed to slowly growing resigned. "It seems that I have little choice," he said bitterly. "But I do have one requirement. I need to know where you are going so that we can know where to begin looking if you lose contact."

Damn it. That sort of defeated the whole point of keeping it private. Why did he think I didn't want anyone to come?

I decided to give him most of the truth, but it was difficult to get out. "I... I want to go home. My mother-" I broke off at the sympathetic look on his face.

"I understand. Be careful," he said sadly.

Huh. Apparently Chiron was a sucker for family reunions. Good to know.

I paused at the door. "I swear I'll be fine, but I have to go. Don't tell Annabeth."

I only stayed long enough to see him nod before I was out of there.

* * *

Six hours later, I stood in front of a door that I'd last walked out of when I was ten years old.

It looks even worse than I remember. The paint is peeling, the brass numbers are hanging off at a weird angle, and there's a nasty stain on the carpet in front of the door, badly hidden by a welcome mat.

I tried not to breathe. The apartment building, never a nice place to begin with, has deteriorated even further since I've been gone. Bums sleep on the front step. People scurry down the halls without looking up, their faces worn and empty. They don't even notice me as I edge my way towards my old home.

I was invisible. Again.

It seems like two lifetimes ago that I skipped down the sad beige hallways, Jason's little hand clenched in mine, following a mother whose only concern was how much was left in her bottle. I felt invisible then, too.

Back then, I was a little girl without a protective shell. It took me years to perfect my mask so that she couldn't see how much it hurt when she screamed at me, blamed me for everything wrong with her life. I hadn't wanted to give her the pleasure.

By the time I was seven, she'd figured out that I no longer gave a damn that she hated me. And that hadn't sat well, had it? She'd gotten worse and worse, until-

He'd returned. My father, Zeus, had shown up on our doorstep one stormy night. I'd never seen my mother so happy.

Things were suddenly... good. My mother didn't drink, didn't pull stupid stunts. She basked in the attention that Zeus gave her, and it was enough to quiet the demons in her.

As for me, I was, frankly, confused. I didn't understand how my father could love her- and if he did, how he could have stayed away all those years when she screamed in my face. Still, he was kind.

On my eighth birthday, he'd given me a present, the only birthday present I've ever received from him to date. I'd opened the gift, wrapped in a simple piece of velvet, and found a bracelet of intertwined silver chains with a black leather base. I was still amazed that he even knew my style well enough to find a piece of jewelry that I'd like. When I put it on, it expanded into an intricately wrought silver shield with Medusa's face glaring out from the center. Even at eight years old, it was the coolest gift I could ever think of.

Accompanying it had been a small canister of mace. When I pressed the button, it expanded into an enormous Celestial Bronze spear. Once again, while a weapon is not a usual present for an eight year old girl, I'd been ecstatic.

In fact, I'd been so happy that I'd unthinkingly hugged my dad around the waist. When my brain finally caught up with my body, I'd frozen, then quickly backed away. To my surprise and relief, he'd seemed bemused but not unhappy. His blue eyes had twinkled at me despite his formal posture. For the first time, I felt loved.

Five months later, Jason was born and Zeus was gone for good.

I shuddered, remembering how bitter my mom had become. The stunts had become wilder and wilder, the drinking more and more often. Once, I wondered if she thought that Zeus would return for our sakes if she was horrible enough to us. If she did think that, it didn't work.

What if I walked through that door now and she was just as bad? What if she was so drunk that she didn't remember me or Jason?

There wasn't anything stopping me from walking away right now. I could be gone in two seconds, flat. I could leave her to stew in her own guilt forever.

I rang the doorbell.

I might not care about her, but I wasn't willing to miss Jason.

I pushed the bell harder, letting it peal continuously. After a moment, the door creaked open a crack. I couldn't see who was behind it, but a woman's voice said quietly, "Eva? Is that you, dear?"

Immediately, I knew it wasn't my mother. Not only was the voice wrong, but I couldn't imagine her ever calling someone 'dear'.

I cleared my throat. "No, I'm sorry. I'm looking for someone who used to live here... ten years ago?" The door opened a bit wider, revealing a tiny little old Asian woman whose face was a mass of laughter lines and wrinkles.

"Ten years? Oh my. That's quite a long time ago. But wait... I remember that woman. Her surname, what was it?" The woman looked puzzled, as if the memory was faded. "Grace. Yes, that was it. She was some sort of starlet. On television, oh yes. Were you looking for her?"

I nodded, heart pounding. "Did she... leave a forwarding address? Do you know where I could find her?"

The woman looked startled. "Forwarding...? My dear girl, didn't you ever hear?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

The woman leaned forward as if imparting a juicy piece of gossip. "She's _dead_."

It felt like someone had stabbed a sliver of ice straight into my heart. I barely heard the next words through my shock and horror.

"Car accident. They said she was drunk. I remember, I was living further down the hall. It was late one night, years ago now. That Grace woman had always had a problem, but after her children disappeared, you never saw her sober. Poor things, no one ever did find out where they'd gone."

I forced my mouth to move. "You- you haven't ever heard anything about the children? The son- A blond boy, he'd be about twelve now. He hasn't ever come looking?"

She raised an eyebrow, causing her frail skin to wrinkle like paper. "Never. Are you family? No one ever came forward when she died."

"No," I said quickly. "Just an old... acquaintance."

I backed away quickly, retracing my steps through the narrow hallways.

When I burst out the door into the cool evening air, I realized that tears were streaming down my face. Dead. Years ago.

I never got to say goodbye, never got to ask her if she might have actually loved me. And Jason really was gone for good.

I glanced back at the apartment building, and for the second time in my life, I swore to myself that it was the last time I would ever see it again.

* * *

I never told Annabeth where I had gone, but she already seemed to know. She didn't say anything as I cried and told her to leave me alone. She didn't listen either, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

I kept my promise to Chiron. I went to the stupid boarding school, I didn't fry anyone, and I didn't run away. But something felt missing still. Not just my mom, not just Jason, not even Luke. The pain of losing them faded naturally enough, but I retained a nagging feeling that I was out of place.

I told Annabeth about it once when we were alone at lunch.

"I just don't fit anymore. If someone asks me how old I am, I still want to say twelve. I'm never going to catch up with myself," I complained.

Annabeth considered that. "Thalia, look. If you really are having trouble, we can figure it out. You're the strongest person I know. But you can't live in the past."

I was so surprised by this advice that all I could say was, "Wait, what?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Look, do you remember when it was just you and me and Luke?"

"Of course!"

"Well, so does he. And he keeps thinking that he can have that back, so he'll do anything that he thinks will help."

I felt sad. "And you think that I want the same thing."

Annabeth looked me in the eyes. "It's fine to want it, but you have to understand that this is where we are. Luke doesn't get that."

I returned her stare. "Believe me, I know that those days are gone. If we tried to do it now, well, we might have an extra person tagging along, and I don't think Luke would like that."

For the first time, Annabeth looked confused. "Who?"

I couldn't help it. I opened my eyes wide in mock innocence. "Percy, of course! You don't think that boy would just let you run off, do you?"

Until that moment, I never realized just how scary Annabeth could be. Her glare was terrifying, and I swear her fingers were wrapping around the hilt of her dagger. "What are you saying?" she asked.

"Nothing!" I said quickly, hoping I would make it out of this with all my limbs attached. "Just that I- Hey, is that your phone?"

Her backpack was indeed buzzing. She glared at me pointedly for one more second before turning away to dig through her bag. Saved by the... phone?

Annabeth flipped open the little device, carefully examining the number to see if she should answer. I knew as well as anyone that it was risky for a demigod to use technology. It was unusual that Annabeth had a phone in the first place, but I highly suspected that it had something to do with being alone in a school with one of the two biggest monster magnets in the world (a.k.a. me).

"It's Chiron," she said worriedly. "Give me a minute. It's probably important." She turned away, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Hello? Hey, Chiron. Is everything okay?" Her voice was neutral, but I thought she seemed tense from the way that she kept twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Yes, Thalia's right here. What about Grover? ...Oh. Yeah, I'm sure she'll agree. We'll be at camp by six, I promise. Bye."

I leaned across the table. "What's wrong with Grover?" I knew that he was off at some school or other looking for half-bloods, but I'd gotten the impression that it was pretty pointless for most of the satyrs. There just weren't that many half-bloods out there.

Annabeth's bow was furrowed. "Chiron wasn't entirely sure. Grover sent a distress call to camp, but it was really garbled and hard to make out. Chiron wanted to send a few of the more experienced fighters to check it out and give him a hand."

I grinned in anticipation of a good fight. "_Experienced fighters..._ Yeah, I'd say the two of us are a pretty damn good team." I paused when I realized that Annabeth looked uncomfortable.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. "I heard you saying my name, so don't tell me that was you two talking about how I should stay behind."

"No," Annabeth said slowly, not meeting my eyes. "It's not going to just be the two of us. Chiron wants to send the best fighters, so it's you, me... and Percy."

I swallowed and tried to sound upbeat. "Cool. So, are we meeting him at camp?"

Annabeth looked surprised by my lack of reaction. "No, Chiron hasn't even called his mom yet. We'll probably grab him on the way there."

I attempted to smile, but I think it looked like a grimace. "Great. Let's go plan a rescue mission in which nobody gets killed. How hard can it be?"

* * *

**A/N- Yeah, how hard could it be? I mean, really!**

**So yeah. I'm not going to do Thalia's POV during Titan's Curse, but there will be either one or two more chapters. One will definitely be post-TLO, but I'm not sure if I want to add when she meets Jason again. Opinions?**


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